Conversion 2
by Wonkaverse
Summary: Gary Oak goes on an expedition with his grandfather, and discovers more than just pokemon. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Pokemon and characters related to the popular game and television franchise belong to The Pokemon Company and its associated affiliates.

**Author's Note**: _This story takes place after the events of "Hidden Power". As pokemon are fictional creatures, the capitalization of their species names is under debate but usually left up to the writer's discretion. They are capitalized in this story to catch the eye better ("Ditto" indicates a pokemon, whereas "ditto" does not, etc.) and the species names are capitalized in the Pokedex._

* * *

It had taken two days of hard climbing, but Gary Oak finally crested the pass of the tallest mountain in the region, with his grandfather and the other members of the research team following close behind. The mountain's narrow peaks jutted overhead, soaring skyward for a hundred more feet. A gentle snow was falling, pattering against Gary's waterproof parka. He knew the snow would soon fall in flurries, once the sun set and the temperature plunged deeper into the negatives. But for the moment, the falling snow veiled the surrounding valleys like a mist. Who knew what sort of mysterious pokemon made this mountain their home? Gary felt a thrill of excitement as he imagined finding a new species. He wished he had gotten into pokemon research sooner. Leave those stupid battle challenges to the kids - scientific research and discovery was the real path to mastery. He was glad his grandfather, Professor Oak, had agreed to give him this internship. They were surveying this mountain for rare or undiscovered pokemon species. The Professor theorized that the permanently frozen peaks would be home to ice type pokemon that could not be found elsewhere in the region. So far, Gary had seen nothing but the usual mountain dwellers - Geodude and Graveller and the occasional Golem, Machop and Fearow and Onix. He thought he saw some Vulpix tracks in the fresh snow, but they weren't defined enough to tell.  
"Gary, slow down will you? I'm not as spry as I used to be."  
Professor Oak came to stop beside his grandson, huffing as he caught his breath. He cast a glance over the valley, smiling.  
"Beautiful, isn't it? I remember the first time I saw this. I was about your age, at the time."  
Gary tried to imagine his grandfather as a young man. He couldn't.

"What were you doing here?"  
"Oh, training." The Professor shrugged. "I never took part in the Pokemon League challenge, but I wanted to strengthen my team and myself. What better way than climbing a mountain?"  
"Is that why you had us hike up instead of fly on Fearows?" Gary asked dryly.  
"Er, no. Fearows would not have been able to carry our equipment."  
Gary looked back at the other researchers. They were setting up camp, pulling supplies from large crates that were being carried by five parka-clad Machoke.  
"I guess you're right."  
"Quite right. Now, let's help dig in and set up before the snow gets heavier."

By the time the sun had set, they had set up several large walk-in tents and covers for the observation equipment. They had a pair of Flareons melt the snow and ice, so that they had dry ground to place everything on. After a quick meal of dried berries and reconstituted pasta, most of the pokemon were returned to their pokeballs and everyone went to their tents to catch some sleep. No one was worried about missing anything - the cameras they had set up would be recording through the night. And an Arcanine was left outside to guard the camp from any wild pokemon that got too curious.  
Gary was sharing a tent with his grandfather. The tent material was thin, but specially designed to trap in heat. They were quite snug in their sleeping bags, especially with Gary's Flareon giving off heat while lying curled up in the middle of the tent. Gary felt drowsy, but for some reason he couldn't sleep. He listened to his grandfather's low snoring and the snow tapping on the outside of the tent. He lay with his eyes closed for a long time, but sleep did not come. Finally he slipped out of his sleeping bag, pulled on his snow gear, and grabbed a flashlight. He slipped out of the tent without waking his grandfather or his Flareon, and zipped up the tent behind him.  
Outside, the strings of lights set up around the camp were dimmed, but bright enough to see by. The Arcanine strode up to Gary and nuzzled his hand.  
"See anything?" Gary whispered.  
The Arcanine shook its head.  
"Well, it is only the first night," Gary sighed. He clicked on his flashlight and walked back to the place where he had looked out over the valley. It was pitch black now, and he couldn't see anything. It was a bit spooky. He nervously checked his pokeball belt. There were five pokeballs there, since his Flareon was back in the tent. He pulled one free and let the pokemon out.  
"Hey Charizard. I'm glad to see you!" Gary said. His Charizard licked him in the face, obviously glad to see him too. The flame on the tip of the Charizard's tail lit up the area a little more, and Gary relaxed.  
Suddenly there was a flash in the darkness, and Gary saw a streak of light plummet from the dark clouds. It crashed into the mountain, slamming into a ridge a few dozen feet above them.  
"We've got to check that out!" Gary cried. "Let's go!" He jumped on his Charizard's back, and they flew through the snowy air. Gary trained his flashlight on the spot where the meteorite had hit so that the Charizard could see it. In a minute, they were there. Whatever had slammed into the mountain left a large, smoldering crater. Gary urged his Charizard closer. He saw something at the bottom of the crater. It glinted in the beam of his flashlight. Was it some kind of stone? He strained his eyes trying to get a better look, but the snow was falling heavier now, and it was getting in his eyes. He wiped it away in frustration to look again...and the shiny thing was gone.

"Eh, we'll come back in the morning," he grumbled as he turned his Charizard back toward the camp.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Gary returned to the crater. He was accompanied by his grandfather and two research associates, Shane and Jean. Since they were not carrying much, they chose to fly up on their pokemon. They landed on a ledge near the site. Shane and Jean returned their Fearows to their pokeballs, since it was much too cold for most bird pokemon at this elevation. Gary, however, kept his Charizard beside him.  
"It was just over here," he said, moving along the ledge. He saw only a vast expanse of white - snow had filled up the crater. He nodded to his Charizard. "Torch it."  
The Charizard drew in a deep breath before spewing a burst of flames. It instantly melted the snow and vaporized it, filling the air with icy mist. The mist dissipated, and surely enough the crater was there. He crept to the edge carefully.  
"See? Just like I said."  
Professor Oak looked over the crater slowly.  
"Well, it certainly does look like something fell from the sky. Note the way the edges of the crater are molten, like glass."  
He looked thoughtful.  
"You know, my cousin, Samson Oak, tells me that in the region of Alola there are pokemon called Minior that occasionally fall from the sky and land in the mountains there. Perhaps the thing you saw was one of them."  
Gary looked dejected. "You mean a pokemon that's already been discovered? Aw, man."  
His grandfather clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, it's still a great discovery - especially for your first expedition! We never knew if an Alolan Pokemon could be found here. Now we just might."  
"Might?" Gary echoed.  
"Well, first we have to find the fallen Pokemon to be sure that it is indeed a Minior. Verification is an important part of the scientific process."  
Gary sighed. "Well, I guess we better start looking, then. We've only got a whole mountain to cover."

While Professor Oak and the others opted to form large search parties with the other researchers, Gary struck out on his own. He just wanted some time alone to think. He was frustrated that he had seen something incredible, but lost it. And before he could lay claim to any kind of discovery, he had to find it. And of course he had no idea where it would go. He didn't know anything about Alola or its indigenous pokemon yet. IF he had seen a Minior, where was it hiding now?  
He trudged through the snow, which was knee-deep. He could have had his Flareon clear a path, but he wanted a challenge. He kept his pokemon in their balls.  
Before long, he came to a ridge where there were huge boulders resting against each other. Gary looked at them warily, wondering if any of the boulders were sleeping Geodude. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally wake up an angry horde of hibernating pokemon.  
Then he heard a soft cry, sort of a whimper, from a cleft in the boulders.  
Was it a hurt pokemon? Gary slogged through the snow as quickly as he could. Maybe it was the thing he had seen in the crater last night! He stopped at the cleft and peered in. It took his eyes a moment to adjust, but then he saw what had made the noise. There was an injured Glaceon lying curled up in the back of the space. It looked at Gary with wide, frightened eyes.  
"Oh, it was you," Gary said. He shook his head, knowing he shouldn't be disappointed to help a hurt pokemon. He dug into his item bag and pulled out a Hyper Potion.  
"This should help," he said kindly as he applied it to the Glaceon. When the pokemon's condition did not improve, he frowned.  
"Strange. You must be really hurt. You'll have to come with me - I know some people who could definitely help you."  
Gary gently picked up the Glaceon and carried it back to camp. It did not struggle, only staring at him with those wide, dark eyes.

By the time he made it back to camp, Professor Oak and the researchers with him had returned as well. They had no luck finding any Minior, though they had spotted some rare ice pokemon tracks.  
"A Glaceon!" Professor Oak exclaimed when he saw what Gary was carrying.  
"Yeah, it's injured, Gramps. It's the weirdest thing - I tried using a Potion on it, but there was no effect."  
"Hm...that is strange. Potions should always work on pokemon to some degree. Even expired ones should have some kind of effect."  
Well, that's why I brought it here," Gary said. "Maybe it's hurt so bad that Potions can't help it "  
Professor Oak grunted in thought. "Bring it to the medical tent. We can let it rehabilitate in there. Jean has had some training in pokemon nursing - we'll see if she can help it recover."

The medical tent was red and white. It was meant to serve both humans and pokemon, as Jean explained when she welcomed Gary and the Professor into the tent.  
"You can set your little friend on that examination table - yes, that one - and we can have a look." She pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves, as did the Chansey that was with her.  
"Just by looking, it doesn't appear that this pokemon has any external injuries. So there may be internal injuries, like broken bones. I don't have the ability to do x rays up here, but I can palpitate along its body to see if I can feel any fractures."  
She started by feeling the Glaceon's head, gently feeling for any lumps or breaks. The Glaceon appeared to be indifferent to her touch, still staring at Gary. Suddenly it turned and bit Jean on the arm.  
"Hey!"  
Jean jumped back and examined her arm. The Glaceon's bite had broken her skin and drew blood.  
"I guess it's a good thing I've had my shots," she grumbled. She looked at the Glaceon in irritation, fear trickling down her spine when she saw it lick her blood from its muzzle.  
"That wasn't very nice," Gary scolded the Glaceon. "Jean was just trying to help you."  
"Maybe it's been hurt by humans in the past," Professor Oak guessed.  
"It didn't mind being carried by Gary," Jean retorted as she held her wound out to be sterilized by the Chansey.  
"It was in shock," Gary said defensively. But even as he said the words, he was getting a little creeped out by the Glaceon's unblinking stare that always seemed to be fixed on him.  
"We'll let it rest," Jean said crisply. "There's an enclosure over here where you can put it. It's big enough for a Gyarados, so it should be comfortable enough."  
Gary cautiously picked up the Glaceon and took it to the enclosure.  
"Uh, don't worry," he reassured it. "We'll set you free once you get better. There's some food and water for you, and a nice bed over there. I'll check on you later."


	3. Chapter 3

Outside, Gary talked to his grandfather.  
"Do you really think it could have been hurt by people before, Gramps? I thought humans didn't come this far up the mountain."  
"But I did, remember?" The Professor reminded him. "Generally people don't come up here, but what about the occasional adventurer or thrill seeker?"  
"Hmm, I guess that's true."  
"But did you notice its eyes?" The Professor said ominously. "They never left you, even when it bit Jean. It's like it wants something from you."  
"Maybe it's grateful I saved it," Gary said hopefully.  
"Or maybe..." The Professor shook his head."  
"What, Gramps?"  
"Oh, it's nothing. Say, have you let your pokemon out lately? They must be getting cramped and hungry by now."  
"Oh, you're right. Thanks, Gramps. See you later."

In a clear spot near the camp, Gary let his team of pokemon loose. There was Flareon and Charizard, Kingler and Steelix, Sneasel and Ursaring. He had purposefully chosen these pokemon for this expedition, since they were could handle the cold. They even enjoyed it, playing in the snow while Gary watched. He munched on a Sitrus berry and thought about the injured Glaceon. Could it have been the shiny thing he saw in the crater last night? Maybe the meteorite had hit it. But shouldn't that have killed it? Gary shook his head. None of it made sense.  
He was eating the last bite of his berry when he looked up and saw a Dragonite sail down from the sky. Before he could react, he noticed Shane get off its back.  
"Great job today, Ditz," Shane said. The Dragonite crooned cheerfully, before melting into a large, pink blob.  
"A Ditto?" Gary said in surprise.  
"Oh, hey Gary," Shane greeted. "Yeah, this is my Ditto, Ditz. He's extremely helpful on expeditions, because he can turn into any sort of pokemon that he's met."  
"Even big ones?" Gary said incredulously.  
"Yeah. I have to admit I don't understand how he can do it. It doesn't make sense scientifically, but there must be some way to explain it that we haven't discovered yet." He paused when he noticed his Ditto shivering. "Hey, don't be an idiot, Ditz. Transform into a Delibird so you won't feel the cold."  
The Ditto chittered and morphed...turning into the ice and flying type pokemon, Delibird.  
"Pretty sweet," Gary commented.  
"Yeah, but he won't change into another pokemon unless I tell him to. All blob, no brain."  
Gary wondered if the Ditto was insulted, but it seemed to agree with its owner, as it chirped cheerfully.  
"Anyway," Shane went on, "we had no luck finding any Minior on the west side of the mountain. How about you?"  
"Nah. But I did find an injured Glaceon. There's something weird about it, though."  
"Glaceon?" Shane looked surprised. "Well, I _did _do a dissertation on Eevees and their evolutionary forms, so I know quite a bit about them. Can I take a look?"  
Gary shrugged. "Sure. I left it in the medical tent with Jean and Chansey. I'll take you."

Gary and Shane ducked into the medical tent.  
"Hey, Jean?" Gary called. "I brought Shane to have a look at the Glaceon. Are you in here?"  
"Uh, back here."  
Gary walked to the back, where the enclosure was. Jean seemed to be locked inside it.  
Gary rushed over to unlock the gate. 'what happened?" Where's the Glaceon?"  
"Oh, it was the darndest thing," Jean said as she stepped out. "I was going to give more food to the Glaceon, when it rushed out of the enclosure and slammed the gate behind it before running off. I guess the latch fell shut and locked me in. I'm lucky you found me."  
"Uh, what about Chansey? Where is she? She could have helped you out."  
"I guess she had to go," Jean said with a well-meaning shrug. "And speaking of which, I need to go, too. Thanks again."  
She walked past Gary and out of the tent. Shane waved at her, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I guess it was urgent," Gary guessed.  
"No kidding," Shane muttered. "She didn't even put on a parka."  
"Well, I guess the Glaceon got away. Jean said it ran out of the enclosure when she was feeding it. So now you can't see it."  
"Well shoot," Shane said. "But I guess it wasn't meant to be. At least the Glaceon is well enough to be running, though. I'll just go and look over the observation equipment now."  
He went to leave the tent, nearly crashing into Jean. She was now wearing a parka.  
"Hey!" She said in surprise. "What are you guys doing here?"  
Gary gave her a puzzled look. "I was going to show Shane the Glaceon I found, but you said it got away. You got locked in the enclosure?"  
Jean looked at him strangely. "I've been at the south side of camp for the past hour. One of our Machoke strained a wrist when it was moving boulders for the the survey teams."  
"But we just saw..." Shane trailed off. He was looking past Jean, through the opening of the tent. He could see another Jean, the one that was not wearing a parka, striding away.  
"You're not part of the Joy family, are you?" Gary asked. "You know, the one that has all the girls that look the same?"  
"Of course not," Jean retorted.  
"Well, there's a girl out there who looks exactly like you. And she's right there." He pointed, and everyone looked. The other Jean broke into a run, crashing into an unsuspecting researcher who had been walking between the tents. The other Jean pulled the researcher into the nearest tent with her.  
Gary, Shane, and Jean ran to the tent and barreled in...only to see the disheveled researcher.  
"What happened to the girl?" Jean demanded.  
"Uh, what girl?" the man said.  
"The one that pulled you in here," Gary said in irritation. "What are you, stupid?"  
"Gary, I hope you're not insulting one of our best sponsors."  
Professor Oak poked his head inside the tent.  
"Gramps?" Gary said in confusion. "I was just, we were..."  
"Whatever you were doing, you barged into the tent of Professor Bosc. He is THE leading authority on mountain pokemon."  
Gary looked the man over, noting his thick chest and massive arms and legs. He certainly looked like a mountaineer, though he was wearing a white coat and glasses. Professor Bosc looked evenly at Professor Oak as he straightened his glasses. "No worries. These young'uns were just curious, is all. They seem to be chasing a girl, or a ghost of one."  
"Is that so," Professor Oak said sternly. "Come with me, you three. Let's have a talk."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Thank you, reader _King_, for your comment. We have not had the luxury of watching the entire anime. While it is true that in the anime universe that Ditto is capable of copying a human, in this Alternate Universe, Ditto cannot replicate a human. Imagine the mass hysteria that would ensue if army of Dittos copied humans and attacked...hmm. Might make a good sequel!

* * *

Professor Oak listened thoughtfully while Gary, Shane, and Jean gave their account of what had happened. They were in the Professor's research space - a large, walk-in tent that contained a folding computer desk, folding chairs, and a folding table with charts and photographs spread across it. More charts had been taped to the tent walls.  
The Professor typed something into his computer, talking while he waited for it to boot up.  
"So, long story short, you think you saw a copy of Jean?"  
"It looked exactly like her," Gary said. "Sounded like her, too."  
"Jean and I didn't get a close look," Shane admitted, but whatever we chased looked a lot like her. Could it have been a ghost type pokemon playing tricks on us?"  
"I doubt it," the Professor grunted. "Though it isn't an impossibility. Misdreavus and Shuppet are known to dwell in mountainous regions...but they shouldn't come out in broad daylight. I was thinking...what if that Glaceon you found wasn't a Glaceon at all? What if it was an imitator that can mimic both pokemon and humans?"  
"There are only two pokemon I know of that can do that," Shane said. "Zorua and Zoroark. But they aren't native to this region."  
"Pokemon _have _been known to migrate," the Professor said with a smile. "Isn't that exactly what we're here to study?"  
Gary nodded. "So how do we find it, Gramps? It could be anywhere in the camp by now."  
"Well, we could split up and look at different areas of the camp for anything suspicious," Shane suggested.  
"Uh, how about no," Jean countered. "Don't you watch horror films? That's exactly what gets people killed."  
"But who said people were getting killed?" Shane asked incredulously. "We're going after a pokemon, not a murderer."  
"He's right," Professor Oak said, " but I will suggest we break off in pairs. More eyes, the better. Jean, you and Shane go together to search the north side of camp. Gary and I will take the south side."  
"Should we let the others know what's going on, sir?" Shane asked.  
The Professor shook his head. "We don't want to let the creature know we're on to it," he murmured. "Best to let everyone go on thinking everything is normal."

The plan was set, and they broke off to search. By now, the sun was sinking toward the horizon, and the falling snow was turning to flecks of ice. Shane laughed nervously as he walked beside Jean.  
"Pretty weird, isn't it? To think you have a twin, that's actually a pokemon."  
"I hope it's a pokemon," Jean muttered. "I would be scared if it was a ghost or something."  
Shane stopped. "You believe in ghosts? Like, actual human ghosts and not pokemon ghost types?"  
Jean hugged her arms against her chest. "Well, if there are ghost pokemon, shouldn't there be ghost humans, too? And it would be just my luck for one to come swooping down -"  
A dark shape fluttered down from the tent beside them. Jean screamed. Shane swore.  
"D - Ditz?"  
His Ditto was still in its Delibird form. It hopped from foot to foot and chirped cheerfully, unaware it had almost given its master a heart attack.  
"I forgot you in the excitement," Shane said, trying to slow his heart rate. "Sorry, buddy."  
Ditz squawked its forgiveness, hopping over to walk beside Shane.

On the other side of camp, Gary and Professor Oak were checking out every tent and equipment bank. If anyone asked them what they were doing, they would have said they were inspecting. But there seemed to be no one about.  
"Maybe they went back out to look for pokemon?" Gary suggested.  
"Unlikely at this hour," the Professor said grimly.  
Gary felt fear beginning to creep up his spine. He was glad he had his pokemon team with him. He had returned all but his Sneasel and Flareon to their pokeballs. The Flareon walked ahead, and the Sneasel brought up the rear. Gary felt pretty secure. He wasn't sure how his grandfather felt, though. Professor Oak studied pokemon extensively, but never seemed to bring any of his own on these expeditions. Yet he seemed to be unafraid as he trudged through snow and sleet, on a search for an unusual creature.

Perhaps he was confident that Gary and his team would protect him. Gary felt a surge of pride at the thought. _Don't worry, Gramps. I'll keep you safe._

"Is it weird that we haven't run into any of the other researchers?" Jean finally asked. Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone since we left Professor Bosc's tent earlier today. Where did everyone go?"  
"Maybe the survey team found something and everyone else went to have a look," Shane said hopefully. "That happened all the time when I was working at an archaeological dig as an undergrad."  
"You never told me that before," Jean said. "I have actually always thought archaeology was fascinating."  
Shane paused to look at her. "Really? I thought you hated ancient history."  
"Just the words in books. But you're talking about the actual recovery and preservation. Discovery. Knowledge." She leaned towards him, so close he could feel the warmth of her breath. "I think that's quite a turn on."  
Shane's eyes widened as he nervously backed away. "Jean, are you are you feeling all right? Because this isn't the time for jokes."  
Jean tutted reproachfully.  
"This isn't a joke, Shane. It's just that, I finally have you alone. And we're on this wild goose chase for something that probably doesn't exist. So this is as good a time as any to tell you how I feel." She pulled the hood of his parka back and leaned in to kiss him. He held up a hand to stop her.  
"Hold up. You saw your duplicate the same as I did. Now you don't believe what you saw? I can't -"  
Jean shoved his hand aside and pressed her lips against his. He forgot his protest as he relaxed into the kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, and he held her. She started biting his lip, playfully at first, but then he felt a sharp pain, and he broke away from the kiss, his lip torn and bloody. He clamped a hand to his face to slow the bleeding, horrified to see Jean licking his blood from her hands and lips. He put the pieces together in his head.  
"You, you were infected by something...Gary said you got bit by the Glaceon. And now I'm infected too!"  
Before he knew what he was doing, he was running away with Ditz flying beside him. He didn't know if Jean, or whatever monster she was becoming, was running behind him. But he didn't dare look back.


	5. Chapter 5

Gary and the Professor did not find anything out of the ordinary, except that there seemed to be no one else around.

"You would figure everyone would be in their tents in this weather," the Professor grumbled as he wiped melting snow from his face.  
"But it seems like everyone is out."  
"Could they have gone home?" Gary asked.  
"Doubtful. We are all funded by a single grant. In order to get paid, everyone would need to be present for the whole expedition."  
"Then I guess some people won't be getting paid," Gary said with a shrug..  
The Professor was going to agree with him, when he noticed some red spots in the snow. He knew just by looking at it that it was blood.  
"Gary," have your team ready," he said.  
"What's up, Gramps?"  
"Just...have your team ready, and follow me."  
The Professor followed the red spots between the tents, pausing when he came to the end of the trail. They were at the tent of Professor Bosc.  
"Professor Bosc!" The Professor called, "come out here!"  
Gary looked at his grandfather skeptically, but then Professor Bosc lumbered out of his tent, and Gary could only stare. The man seemed larger, and more muscular. He still wore his glasses, but his white coat was gone. He seemed indifferent to the subzero temperature and the ice that was falling on him.  
"I know now, Bosc," Professor Oak said, raising his voice above the howling wind. "My grandson and his friends were right when they barged into your tent. There is something wrong about you. And it must have something to do with our empty camp."  
Bosc glared at him. "Perceptive, aren't you? Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it. The deaths of the others were necessary. As will your deaths be."  
He stepped toward Gary and the Professor.  
_Now!_  
Gary threw his other pokeballs in the air, unleashing his other four pokemon. He ordered them to attack Bosc. The Ursaring, Sneasel, and Flareon all lunged forward to take him down...but horribly, a massive split formed in Bosc's chest and stomach...and it was lined with jagged teeth. The Sneasel and Flareon fell into the gaping maw before they could get away, and it slammed shut on them.  
Gary was too shocked to cry out. He could only watch in horror as his Ursaring and Kingler attacked Bosc. The Ursaring managed to slice his shoulder with its long claws, but Bosc's monster mouth opened again, and the Ursaring was gone. Then the Kingler fell into the horrible jaws. And with every pokemon Bosc consumed, he grew larger.  
Gary's Charizard swooped down to take a slash, but Gary managed to scream at it. "No, no!"  
The Charizard rolled in midair and turned back, narrowly avoiding Bosc's now-huge hands.  
"We've got to go!" Gary cried to his grandfather, who could only agree. They ran, with Gary's Charizard and Steelix fleeing with them. They only made it halfway through the camp when they ran into Shane.  
"It, it, it got Jean!" He panted. "And she tried to get me too."  
"I don't even know what it is," Gary growled, but it got Bosc...and four of my best friends." His voice cracked. The Professor hugged him.  
"I'm sorry, Gary. I should have figured it out sooner. What we're dealing with is not a pokemon. That's why your Potion didn't work on it. Not a human. Not a ghost. It's something not of our world. It consumes, but it also mimics what it consumes. It was probably mimicking a Glaceon when you found it, Gary. Then to escape, it mimicked Jean."  
"But Professor," Shane interjected, "it didn't consume Jean. So how did it mimic her?"  
"I'm guessing it didn't need to eat all of her at the time. It bit her - got her blood, her DNA. perhaps it needs to consume food to increase its biomass, as we can see with our friend, the Bosc-thing."

"Stop, don't listen to him!"  
Gary looked to see another Shane running toward them. His mouth was bloody, and a Delibird was flapping beside him. The real Shane! Which meant the one with them was...  
"Gramps, look out!"  
The Professor leapt away just in time to dodge disgusting tentacles that had burst out of the Shane-thing's chest. Gary's Charizard blew a fireball at it, and it screeched in pain.  
Gary grinned fiercely. "Fire! It hates fire! Do it again, Charizard!"  
The Charizard spewed flames again, so hot it seared through the falling ice and vaporized it. The flames consumed the Shane-thing, and it screeched as it was burnt to a crisp. But then the Bosc-thing caught up to them. The Charizard blew flames at it, but it seemed more resistant to fire.  
"It's too large!" Gary shouted.  
Tentacles burst from the Bosc-thing's sides, stretching toward Gary and the Professor. The real Shane jumped in the way, getting caught in the tentacles instead. "Fly away, Ditz," he said to his Delibird-Ditto. "I'm as good as dead anyway."  
But Ditz morphed back into a Ditto and clung bravely to its master as they were both drawn into the Bosc-thing's toothy maw.  
Gary expected that he and his grandfather would be next to die. He was surprised when he lived for another moment, and when the Bosc-thing appeared to melt into throbbing, pink goo. It looked like shifting muck that changed colors, parts getting hard and trying to remain stable, bubbling before melting into soupy mush. Finally, it grew still.  
"It's over," the Professor said. "I think the Ditto's unstable DNA was the creature's undoing. The brave little guy saved us, maybe even the whole world." He paused, as if debating whether he should say something.  
"It could save your mother."

Gary stared at him.  
"But...you told me mom died, and that my dad was killed."  
"We can talk about this when we get home."  
"No, let's do it now! We only almost got eaten by some alien monster virus!"  
The Professor sighed. "Very well. Your father was indeed killed," he said heavily. "Accidentally. By your mother. She has a condition, you see, passed down from me. It didn't manifest until after you were born. So I put your mother into a deep sleep as I look for a cure. And I think what's left of this thing that attacked us...may be the missing piece."  
Gary felt too many emotions to make a coherent thought. His mother had been alive all this time? His grandfather had lied to him. What was the condition he was talking about? Had he just lost his pokemon friends for nothing?  
Anger and grief welled up in him. Without knowing what he was doing, he took a swing at his grandfather. The Professor caught his fist in one hand.  
"Calm down, Gary. I'll explain everything; I promise."  
Tears streaked down Gary's face. "Somehow I don't believe that, Gramps."  
The Professor put his hands on Gary's temples.  
"You have to trust me, Gary. Everything I do, I do to protect you. Now sleep."  
Gary suddenly felt drowsy, his world fading to darkness.  
He did not see his Charizard torch the whole camp, or feel his grandfather holding onto him as they flew away on the Charizard's back. He was unaware of his grandfather's tears, or of the sadness in his eyes as he watched the campsite burn. _Another disaster in research, more lives sacrificed to the gods of science._ One day the pain and grief might break him, but today was not that day. He was now carrying a vial that contained the thing-DNA. DNA that could very well help him remove the pokemon DNA that he had passed onto his daughter...and grandson. He only hoped he could create a working vaccine before the condition manifested in Gary, and accidentally destroyed the ones he loved.


End file.
